Antioxidant and immunomodulatory proprieties of Papaver rhoeas

Abstract

Papaver rhoeas belongs to the family of “Papaveraceae”. It was used since ancient times for its healing properties. Our study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of P. rhoeas hydromethanolic extract. The determination of total polyphenols and flavonoids contents were carried out using colorimetric methods, using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride (AlCl₃), respectively. Antioxidant propriety was tested using free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), with BHT as a standard. The effect of P. rhoeas extract on the humoral immune response was evaluated in vivo in mice injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of P. rhoeas extract showed 79.64 ± 5.09 μg GAE/mg and 11.07 ± 0.52 μg QE/mg of dry weight of the plant, respectively. In vitro antioxidant assay revealed that P. rhoeas exhibited a strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 104.33 ± 3.05 µg/ml) compared to BHT. The immunomodulatory activity showed that the treatment with P. rhoeas extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg demonstrated a significant increase in antibody titre (210.44 ± 24.38), while at the dose of 400 mg/kg showed a decrease in this titre (107.55 ± 13.38). In conclusion, the hydromethanolic extract of P. rhoeas has potent antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities (immunostimulants at low dose, and immunosuppressants at high dose).